Customer Reviews

Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For me it was something I have always wanted to say or rather to be told.... its most of those unanswered questions by my mother and that conversation I still yearn to have with my mother.... its all things african i take pride in but cant necessarily express myself any better.... you just have to read this book to understand parts of me and millions of other women that have not been shared with dignity... certainly glad that someone has told the story for me..... Its a must have for every family library, the son and father tear jerker, the mother and daughter uncut umbilical cord..... As the boarders disappear and the whole world can be called home due to "globalization", you need books like this to take you back where you started from..... every immigrant young lady regardless of ethnicity can identify with this story every inch of the way.

How refreshing after a diet of Oprah's selections to read about a strong family who treat each other with respect. The warm, loving mother's voice as she shares the family's history with her daughter, transports us to the far off world of modern Zimbabwe. Through her matter-of-fact narrative we learn of the impact of colonialism and the revolution on very believable people. I recommend it highly.

ZenZele is a powerful letter from a mother to her growing young daughter. ZenZele has gone off to the United States for school, and her mother is writing her with the best advice she could give on life. This books contains personal experiences and memories ZenZele's mother. This woman lived a very full and unique life. You can feel the love she has for her daughter by reading her words. ZenZele is a wonderful and moving book. Once you read it you will never be the same.

I simply loved it - to say the least. Every word was just so delicious to read. It's one of those books you just can't put down once you start. It goes deep inside Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) and narrates the political and cultural struggles of everyday Zimbabweans. This lady makes me proud to say my own name. She's an excellent writer and I am waiting for her to publish her next work soon. This book is almost like an emblem to all expatriates, which is no wonder that it was translated to so may languages. The main plot and story line is just universal, although the setting was African. I could certainly relate to everything. It also shows that we still do not have the political, economic, and cultural independance that we thought would come naturally after "independance". Her style of writing is like a mixture or medley of all my best authors...so you can imagine why it was a good read for me. Great job indeed!

Have you ever discovered that the most inspiring spiritual wisdom is not in the "Spiritual Books?" It is in the books which are written from the heart, and you will find those treasures in this book. The words are very sacred; they hold on to your soul for a long time and they give way to long bouts of pondering. Isn't that what writing is supposed to do? This book can offer you something you may not find in life, a chance to look through the eyes of a mother. Reward yourself, you're worth it.......

I had chanced upon this book when it first came out and since then I have avidly recommended it to many. I am not from Africa but from a developing country where the similar values and scenarios that are presented in the book are encountered. It made me identify myself with the culuture and yet know so much about the uniqueness of African way of life. Hope we soon get some other publications from the same author.

This is a touching, warmly told story of a Zimbabwean family, as revealed through a mother's letters to her daughter, Zenzele, on Zenzele's immanent departure to study at Harvard. Through a mother's careful, vivid remembrances, we see Zenzele's past as well as her future, her difficulty in accepting her family's humble roots in a rural Zimbabwean village, and the wisdom of her culture, which some day she will come to embrace. In addition to this wonderful portrait of a family, the reader becomes acquainted with a voice not often heard in "mainstream" Western literature, the voice of the black African woman. Zenzele's mother tells her own story, that of a woman who, though not a foot soldier in the struggle against colonization, nevertheless plays a vital role in the fight for independence. An excellent book and an unusual opportunity for the American reading public

This is a touching, warmly told story of a Zimbabwean family, as revealed through a mother's letters to her daughter, Zenzele, on Zenzele's immanent departure to study at Harvard. Through a mother's careful, vivid remembrances, we see Zenzele's past as well as her future, her difficulty in accepting her family's humble roots in a rural Zimbabwean village, and the wisdom of her culture, which some day she will come to embrace. In addition to this wonderful portrait of a family, the reader becomes acquainted with a voice not often heard in "mainstream" Western literature, the voice of the black African woman. Zenzele's mother tells her own story, that of a woman who, though not a foot soldier in the struggle against colonization, nevertheless plays a vital role in the fight for independence. An excellent book and an unusual opportunity for the American reading public

A great book club book. This is one of my favorite books and I have found few women who have not loved this book. The language is poignant and full of warmth. It teaches us to maintain our roots, and the beauty in all humankind. I learn about the beauty inherent in places and people whom I can only know in stories. The stories touch your soul. Beauty is not what you own, whom you know, but what you bring to the world and who you are. How can you be a beautiful neurosurgeon and write this well. It is simply not fair !!!!

This Book is definately Top NOtch, I hope the Writer goes very far in Life, because i am delighted by her Style.
I advice all and sundry to buy this book and enjoy a touching story of a Mother advising her daughter about the way of the World and what it is to her to be an African.